Editing Charlie Chaplin (section)

====Keystone====
Six months into the second American tour, Chaplin was invited to join the New York Motion Picture Company. A representative who had seen his performances thought he could replace [[Fred Mace]], a star of their [[Keystone Studios]] who intended to leave.{{sfn|Robinson|p=102}} Chaplin thought the Keystone comedies "a crude mélange of rough and rumble", but liked the idea of working in films and rationalised: "Besides, it would mean a new life."{{sfn|Chaplin|pp=138–139}} He met with the company and signed a $150-per-week{{efn|${{Inflation|US|150|1913|fmt=c|r=-2}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{Inflation/fn|US}}}} contract in September 1913.{{sfnm|1a1=Robinson|1p=103|2a1=Chaplin|2p=139}} Chaplin arrived in Los Angeles in early December,{{sfn|Robinson|p=107}} and began working for the Keystone studio on 5{{spaces}}January 1914.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bengtson |first=John |title=Silent Traces: Discovering Early Hollywood Through the Films of Charlie Chaplin |publisher=Santa Monica Press |year=2006}}</ref>
{{multiple image
| align             = left
| direction         = vertical
| width             = 
| image1            = Chaplin Making a Living 2.jpg
| width1            = 220
| caption1          = Chaplin (left) in his first film appearance, ''[[Making a Living]]'', with [[Henry Lehrman]], who directed the picture (1914)
| alt1              = Making a Living screenshot
| image2            = Chaplin Kid Auto Races.jpg
| width2            = 220
| caption2          = Chaplin's [[trademark look|trademark]] character "[[the Tramp]]" debuts in ''[[Kid Auto Races at Venice]]'' (1914), Chaplin's second released film
| alt2              = Kid Auto Races at Venice screenshot
}}

Chaplin's boss was [[Mack Sennett]], who initially expressed concern that the 24-year-old looked too young.{{sfn|Chaplin|p=141}} He was not used in a picture until late January, during which time Chaplin attempted to learn the processes of filmmaking.{{sfn|Robinson|p=108}} The [[Film reel|one-reeler]] ''[[Making a Living]]'' marked his film acting debut and was released on 2{{spaces}}February 1914. Chaplin strongly disliked the picture, but one review picked him out as "a comedian of the first water".{{sfn|Robinson|p=110}} For his second appearance in front of the camera, Chaplin selected the costume with which he became identified. He described the process in his autobiography:
{{blockquote|I wanted everything to be a contradiction: the pants baggy, the coat tight, the hat small and the shoes large{{spaces}}... I added a small moustache, which, I reasoned, would add age without hiding my expression. I had no idea of the character. But the moment I was dressed, the clothes and the makeup made me feel the person he was. I began to know him, and by the time I walked on stage he was fully born.{{sfn|Chaplin|p=145}}{{efn|Robinson notes that this was not strictly true: "The character was to take a year or more to evolve its full dimensions and even then{{snd}}which was its particular strength{{snd}}it would evolve during the whole rest of his career."{{sfn|Robinson|p=114}}}}}}

The film was ''[[Mabel's Strange Predicament]]'', but "[[the Tramp]]" character, as it became known, debuted to audiences in ''[[Kid Auto Races at Venice]]''{{snd}}shot later than ''Mabel's Strange Predicament'' but released two days earlier on 7{{spaces}}February 1914.{{sfn|Robinson|p=113}}<ref name=LATimes>{{cite news |last=Mostrom |first=Anthony |title=Unsuspecting extras go down in film history |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/la-xpm-2011-jun-19-la-me-0619-then-20110619-story.html |date=19 June 2011}}</ref> Chaplin adopted the character as his screen persona and attempted to make suggestions for the films he appeared in. These ideas were dismissed by his directors.{{sfn|Robinson|p=120}} During the filming of his 11th picture, ''[[Mabel at the Wheel]]'', he clashed with director [[Mabel Normand]] and was almost released from his contract. Sennett kept him on, however, when he received orders from exhibitors for more Chaplin films.<ref>Chaplin, C. (1964). ''My Autobiography''. New York: Simon and Schuster.</ref> Sennett also allowed Chaplin to direct his next film himself after Chaplin promised to pay $1,500 (${{Inflation|US|1500|1913|fmt=c|r=-3}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars) if the film was unsuccessful.{{sfn|Robinson|p=121}}

''[[Caught in the Rain (film)|Caught in the Rain]]'', issued on 4{{spaces}}May 1914, was Chaplin's directorial debut and was highly successful.{{sfn|Robinson|p=123}} Thereafter he directed almost every short film in which he appeared for Keystone,{{sfn|Maland|1989|p=5}} at the rate of approximately one per week,{{sfn|Kamin|p=xi}} a period which he later remembered as the most exciting time of his career.{{sfn|Chaplin|p=153}} Chaplin's films introduced a slower form of comedy than the typical Keystone farce,{{sfn|Robinson|p=113}} and he developed a large fan base.{{sfnm|1a1=Robinson|1p=125|2a1=Maland|2y=1989|2pp=8–9}} In November 1914, he had a supporting role in the first [[feature length]] comedy film, ''[[Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914 film)|Tillie's Punctured Romance]]'', directed by Sennett and starring [[Marie Dressler]], which was a commercial success and increased his popularity.{{sfn|Robinson|pp=127–128}} When Chaplin's contract came up for renewal at the end of the year, he asked for $1,000 a week,{{efn|{{Inflation|US|1000|1913|fmt=eq|r=-3}}}} an amount Sennett refused, as he thought it was too large.{{sfn|Robinson|p=131}}